In Paul Tough’s essential book, How Children Succeed, he describes what’s going on. Childhood stress can have long lasting neural effects, making it harder to exercise self-control, focus attention, delay gratification and do many of the other things that contribute to a happy life.

A wonderfully written new book reveals a school improvement measure in its infancy that has the potential to transform our schools, particularly in low-income neighborhoods. The book is How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, by Paul Tough.

Mr. Tough’s new book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character, combines compelling findings in brain research with his own first-hand observations on the front lines of school reform. His book is an inspiration. It has made me less of a determinist, and more of an optimist.

Selected Radio/Podcast Interviews

The author of “How Children Succeed,” Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter most have less to do with cognitive skills and more to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, and self-control.

Why do some students soar in the classroom while others fail? A new generation of researchers believes student success might have more to do with character traits – perseverance, curiosity, optimism and self-control – than with intelligence. Our guest, author Paul Tough.

Character, not test scores, is the key to children succeeding in school and in life, says Paul Tough. His new book, How Children Succeed, brings together narratives and scientific studies from various disciplines to paint a holistic approach to redefining how children succeed.

Character, Grit, Curiosity, Adversity: four very powerful words and four words we all need to incorporate into our parenting. Todd and Paul talk about how things have changed in schools, how things need to change in schools and how all parents and children can overcome and succeed in life.

Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about why children succeed and fail in school and beyond school. The conversation closes with the implications for public policy in fighting poverty.

As kids and teachers head back to school, we wanted to turn away from questions about politics and unions and money and all the regular school stuff people argue about, and turn to something more optimistic — an emerging theory about what to teach kids, from Paul Tough’s new book How Children Succeed.

In a speech, Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, details how some students could actually benefit from having more adversity in their lives. November 2012.

Paul Tough introduces us to a new generation of scientists and educators who are radically rethinking our understanding of how children develop character, how they learn to think, and how they overcome adversity. September 2012.

Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed, and Russell Shaw, head of Georgetown Day School, argue that poor high school preparation and a lack of student ownership have contributed to the world’s highest college dropout rate. July 2012.